Polyphosphazene polymers containing repeating ##STR2## units in which various alkoxy, substituted alkoxy, aryloxy, substituted aryloxy, amino and mercapto groups are attached to the phosphorus atom and their method of preparation "Nitrogen-Phosphorus Compounds", Academic Press, New York, N.Y., 1972 by H. R. Allcock and "Poly(Organophosphazenes)", Chemtech, Sept. 19, 1975, by H. R. Allcock and in such U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,515,799; 3,702,833; 3,856,712; 3,974,242; and 4,042,561.
Polyphosphazene polymers containing cyclic substituents derived from 1,2- or 1,3-difunctional compounds have not been prepared in the prior art known to the applicant. U.S. Pat. No. 3,948,820 to Reynard et al shows the production of copolymers and terpolymers of polyphosphazene polymers containing non-cyclic, pendant hydroxyl containing substituents derived from 1,2-propanediol and 1,3-butanediol in admixture with mono-hydroxy containing compounds such as trifluoroethanol. In the preparation of copolymers and terpolymers, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,948,820, a large excess of the total available reactive hydroxy groups is used and cyclic substituents are apparently not formed. The present invention does not form copolymers from 1,2- and 1,3-difunctional compounds and additional monohydroxy compounds, as cyclic substitution would be impossible since monohydroxy compounds preferentially react with the poly(dichlorophosphazene) polymer backbone to prevent the second hydroxy group in the 1,2- or 1,3-difunctional compounds from forming a cyclic oxy linkage.